


Time and Sock Puppets

by Katzedecimal



Category: DCU, Flash Rogues - Fandom, Piper Trickster, The Flash (Comics)
Genre: Deaf Character, Kidfic, Other, Secret love, Unrequited Love, ablism, audism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-26
Updated: 2013-12-26
Packaged: 2018-01-06 07:25:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1104060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katzedecimal/pseuds/Katzedecimal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the Flash brings him a scared, de-aged little boy, James Jesse learns that being deaf was the least of the Pied Piper's issues.</p><p>Originally published on LiveJournal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_Lightning flashed and the rain thudded down. He was soaked to the skin, right through his jacket and shirt and through his shoes. The rain washed away the tears that never stopped trickling down his face._

_He was lost and alone and hungry and tired. He'd walked so much, his feet and legs hurt, so he sat down near a dumpster and cried until his throat hurt. Cried out, he got up to resume his search._

_He didn't see the semi until it was too late._

* * * *

"My god! What the hell happened?"

"I don't know," Wally said, "I heard him crying and got there just in time to snatch him out of the way of an oncoming truck."

"Lucky guy!"

"Maybe not. The truck was blasting its horn but he didn't look up. He hasn't reacted to the thunder either."

Federal agent James Jesse snapped his fingers behind the little boy's head and swallowed his horror, "Oh god... His implants are gone... Oh, Piper...!" He crouched and hugged the little boy then turned to Wally, "What could've done this to him? And long has he been out here?"

Wally shook his head, "You know as much as I do, at this point. Long enough to get pretty grubby, anyways, and look at the circles under his eyes." He pointed at the crumpled photograph held tight in the child's fist, "He was adamant about finding you, though. He just about walked off on me until I got him to understand that I was trying to phone you."

James turned back to the child and thought hard, trying to remember. He tapped Hartley to make him look, then made a 'd' shape with his fingers and tapped first his ear, then the corner of his mouth -- 'deaf?' The little boy nodded. 'Can you understand me?' James signed.

Hartley thought hard; it looked like he was also trying to remember, James thought. 'Little bit,' the boy signed at last.

'Do you remember me?' The big blue eyes searched James's face and compared it to the photograph, then he shrugged.

"What's he say?" Wally asked.

"Well, it's obvious that I'm familiar but it looks like he can't place me. He says he can understand a little bit of ASL. He looks, what, three, maybe four? When did he start learning sign, do you know?"

Wally shook his head and sighed, "Haven't got a clue. I didn't know _you_ knew it, though."

James shrugged, "I just hope I can remember enough to talk to him. It's been a while, I'm rusty."

"Yeah, well... He looks like he's about to drop and he's probably hungry."

"Needs a bath, too," James said, making a face at the grit in the child's hair.

"Right, so you take him home and get him fixed up. I'll work on finding out what happened and if it's reversable."

**"Me?!"** James yelped, "Why me? You're the father! I don't know anything about kids!"

Wally rolled his eyes, "James, you're good with kids, I've seen you."

"Entertaining them with card tricks is one thing; bathing them and dealing with tantrums is another!"

"Not really," Wally said cryptically, "But most importantly, _you_ can find out what he's having a tantrum about; I can't. I don't know any sign language." James winced - he had him there. "It has to be you, James, you can talk to him. Besides, I don't think he's going to let you go." Sure enough, little Hartley had James's lapels tight in his fists and his face was pressed against his neck.

"Yeah, you're right," James sighed. He shifted his grip and scooped the child up into his arms, feeling the little arms slide around his neck, and carried him to the car.

"I'll contact you tomorrow," Wally said, "Good luck."

James looked at the little deaf boy who, the last time he'd seen him, had been the robust, music-obsessed man called the Pied Piper. _If this is permanent, I'm gonna kill someone for taking away his hearing,_ James thought. "Thanks... I'll need it."

* * * *

Hartley fell asleep during the drive home but woke up when James pulled off his jacket and shoes in the kitchen. Which was a relief to James, who wasn't sure how he was going to bathe a comatose child, but putting him to bed like _that_ was out of the question. Moot point now, thankfully. He poured some soup into a mug and popped it into the microwave. 'Hungry?' he signed. Hartley rubbed his eyes and nodded. 'Try to stay awake a little longer,' James signed, 'Soup, then bath.' Hartley nodded again, straightening up and trying - and failing - to look attentive. James grinned at him.

Hartley wrapped his hands around the soup mug and took a sip. He sucked a noodle into his mouth, grinning when it flipped up to his nose. James grinned and beeped his nose, wiping off the soup. Hartley laughed and James winced - geez the kid was **loud!**

While Hartley ate, James questioned him as best he could, 'Do you remember anything before Wally found you?'

Hartley frowned at him then concentrated. Finally he shook his head and signed, 'Bright.'

'Bright light?' James asked, 'Do you remember anything before that?' Another headshake. 'Rats?' But the child only looked puzzled. _Damn._

Hartley finally put the soup down, mostly drained, then touched his hands to his lips as though blowing a kiss - 'thank you.'

'You're welcome,' James signed, smiling, 'Bath now.' He offered his hand but Hartley stretched both arms up towards him, so he scooped him up and carried him to the bathroom.

James wasn't sure how deep to run the bath but figured waist high might be alright. Hartley stripped off his clothes and stood with a towel wrapped around him like a cocoon, patiently waiting. He tested the temperature, then had Hartley approve it, before helping him into the tub and handing him soap and a washcloth, letting him do his own honours -- as best a four year old could, anyways. James touched the fingers of his open hand to his lips, then to the fingers of his other hand - 'Good! Missed a few spots.' Missed a lot of spots, but hey, he was four. Then he washed Hartley's hair, having him squinch his eyes shut and being extra careful. He made a mental note to add no-tears shampoo to the list of things he'd have to shop for tomorrow.

_Where's he going to sleep tonight?_ James thought as he toweled Hartley off. _I can't put him on the couch, he might fall off. I guess I could put him in my bed and take the couch tonight._ He scooped Hartley up and thought about what to dress him in. _Don't have anything to use for pjs... He'd probably strangle himself in one of my t-shirts... Guess the kid's gonna have to sleep nude tonight. I don't think he's going to care, look at that, he's already flaking out on my shoulder. Poor kid, I wonder how long he was out there?_

He pulled the blankets back, set Hartley down and tucked him in. 'Sleep now,' he signed, ruffling the strawberry-blond hair. Hartley made a distressed whine and James asked, 'Whatcha need? Story?' A headshake, another ear-splitting whine. Hartley reached up to press his face against James's chest, touching his hand to James's throat. "Ah... company," James murmured to himself. He shucked his pants and shirt, pulled on his sweatpants, and slid into the bed. Hartley latched onto him, pressing his cheek against James's chest, over his heart.

James blinked, _Can he hear it? ...No, he feels the thumping. He feels the vibrations._ He wrapped his arms around the boy and got comfortable. Pressing Hartley's fingers against his throat, he started humming a lullaby.

When he was certain that Hartley was asleep, he skootched out and got up. Immediately the child's demeanor changed, curling in on himself and hugging his knees. James looked at him for a minute, then went out to put the boy's clothes into the washer, tidy the kitchen and rinse out the tub. When he returned, the kid had curled up so tightly he looked like a pill bug. James looked at him for another minute, then shook his head. He slid in under the covers and turned out the light, then pulled the little red-headed pill bug against his chest. Hartley immediately melted open at the warmth and nuzzled into James's chest to find his heartbeat. Soon he slid into very deep, dreamless sleep.

James lay awake for a long time.

* * * *

Someone was poking his arm. James cracked a bleary eye open and winced at the light. Hartley sat beside him, wrapped in a blanket cocoon and cuddling something to his chest. James blinked.

It was his Trickster puppet. He glanced over at the dresser and saw the box that Hartley had dragged over to it. None of the other puppets had been disturbed. 'Found a friend?' he signed. Hartley beamed and nodded that loose-necked nod of little kids. 'Hungry?'

Hartley shrugged then indicated his abdomen and signed 'pain' -- 'Tummy hurts.'

_Probably hunger pains,_ James thought, _Hope it's not food poisoning or worse._ He got up and found a bottle of pepto, giving the child a scant teaspoon, then made some mint tea. He pulled the child's clothes out of the dryer while he sipped. When Hartley indicated that the hurt had lessened, James gave him some yogurt and fruit and a small pastry for breakfast.

'We need to buy you some clothes and things,' James signed, when they'd finished eating, 'You feel up to some shopping?' Hartley tipped his head to one side, then shrugged and nodded. He held up the Trickster puppet with an inquisitive expression. 'Of course he can come with us,' James smiled. Hartley let out a loud squeal and hugged the puppet. James got up and held out his hand to Hartley, who bounced up to him and reached up, holding tightly to the puppet.

As he carried Hartley out to the car, James reflected that the boy seemed to like being carried. _Did they not let him walk anywhere? No, if they did that, they'd've pushed him around in a stroller or a wagon or something, they wouldn't have carried him._ The way Hartley kept his cheek pressed against James, his bright blue eyes darting around, taking everything in, made James think he just wanted the closeness.

Shopping for clothes proved to be educational: Hartley retained his thing for green. However, he'd seemed puzzled when James set him down to let him wander and pick out things he liked. It took James a few minutes to realize that Hartley had probably never chosen his own clothes before. _That's right, they probably never even took him shopping. They probably bought all his clothes without him and dressed him up like a doll. No wonder he wound up in polka-dots when he left home._

Hartley picked out a couple of t-shirts and submitted them to Trickster-puppet's approval, much to James's amusement. He figured on a few days' worth of clothes, figuring he could donate them to the Sally Anne if Hartley's condition was temporary. Then Hartley let out a delighted shriek and raced for a display of track hoodies. They were in an array of colours and had Flash insignias over the right breast. He squealed and bounced up and down, pointing at a green one, signing 'please' with excited, pleading eyes. James laughed and found one in his size, amused by the irony of the former Rogue becoming a little Flash fan.

'We have to pay for it first, then you can wear it,' James signed, crouching next to him and handing him the hoodie.

'Okay,' Hartley replied, then touched his fingers to his lips as though blowing a kiss, 'Thank you! You're the...' He frowned, unable to remember how to sign 'best', and settled for hugging James. Once paid for, James ripped the tags off and helped Hartley into the hoodie. Hartley let out a delighted screech and ran circles around James, who twirled around and pretended he couldn't keep up. Hartley glommed onto James's leg and buried his face in his hip, then beamed up at him.

"Ready to go have some fun?" James asked.

Hartley brought his fist down in an emphatic, "Yes!" He stretched up and James scooped him into his arms and started walking towards his favorite shop.

After a moment, Hartley made a distressed whine and struggled in James's arms. He thumped James's shoulder and pointed back the way they had come. James turned and saw the Trickster puppet lying on the ground - whoops! He set Hartley down and together they raced back. James picked up the puppet and inspected it for damages, then he pulled a sad face and signed 'I'm so sorry!' to it. Slipping his hand up inside it, he made it 'sign' back to him, then he turned it to Hartley and signed, 'He says he missed you so much!'

Hartley beamed and hugged the puppet tightly to his chest. 'Thank you,' he signed, then took James's hand again. He practically bounced along as they walked towards the toy store.

'See anything you want?' James asked, waving an arm expansively to take in the store. He fully expected to be there for a good hour, and he himself wanted to pick up a few India rubber balls and some more yoyos -- well it was _his_ favorite store!

So his mouth fell open when Hartley blinked, looked around, then shrugged and held up the Trickster puppet with a happy smile. James blinked, surprised and endeared, 'That's all?' Hartley smiled a cherub's smile and nodded, cuddling the puppet. _He's got his Trickster, that's all he needs,_ James thought, not sure what to make of that. 'Well, **I'** , he tapped his chest for emphasis, 'Want Legos! And Lite-Brites!'

'Okay,' Hartley replied. 'We play together?' he asked, exaggeratedly lifting his eyebrows to indicate a question.

'You bet!' James grinned, and headed down the aisle.

He felt Hartley slow and turned to see what had grabbed the child's attention. He'd seen another boy playing with a toy instrument; when the other boy put it down, Hartley picked it up.

It was a flute. James felt his heart leap into his throat as Hartley, possibly driven by some dim memory, fitted his tiny fingers and raised it to his lips. He blew and the melody that emerged was a faint approximation of one of Piper's favorite tunes. Then he shrugged and put the flute down and James felt an enormous crack run across his heart.

Hartley looked up and saw James's expression. 'Am I in trouble?' he asked with big fearful eyes.

James shook his head emphatically and crouched down to hug him. 'No way," he signed, 'You're the best little boy in the world.'

* * * *

"You have reached the home of James Jesse. I can take your call right now, so there won't be any beep." The silence on the other end of the phone stretched out until James finally broke up laughing, "You always fall for that one, Wally!"

Hartley watched James intently, sipping his chocolate milk and nibbling at his salad. James grinned at him, phone to his ear, "Yeah, we're just having lunch, we were out shopping, had to buy him some clothes and suchlike. No, I don't think so but he stuck to me like glue. You should've seen him at the mall, couldn't peel him off my leg! I think people thought he was actually one of STAR's mutant dog experiments. No, I don't think he remembers much, but he remembers **something.** His signing's really improved fast. He's adopted my Trickster puppet as his new best friend and he made a beeline for the Flash hoodies at the store. You got yourself a little roadie now."

Hartley nibbled at his grilled cheese sandwich, offering some to Trickster-puppet before taking another bite. "Heh, you should see this, he's sharing his lunch with Mini-Me," James chuckled, "I gotta say, Wally, this is the most well-behaved kid I've ever seen. Even when he gets tired and cranky he doesn't throw a wobbler. But **man,** is he starved for affection! I'm not kidding, Wally, I couldn't peel him off my chest last night! What? Of course I slept with him, I don't exactly have a kid bed in my apartment and I wasn't going to risk him falling out of bed with a nightmare. And as I said, he wouldn't let me go!"

He grinned at Hartley, who smiled back and signed 'delicious' large enough that it bordered on another meaning entirely. "So anyways, any progress on finding out what happened to him? Well, when you find him, save some for me, I wanna wring the bastard's neck. Wally, we were in the toy store and he saw a toy flute. He picked it up and tried it out," James was aware of his voice starting to shake and his eyes stung, "And he put it down... because he didn't know what it was for." The tears spilled over and James brushed them with the back of his hand, "He couldn't see anything special about it."

Hartley slid out of his chair with a look of deep concern on his face. He held the Trickster puppet up to James, then hugged him tight. He signed, 'Am I in trouble?'

'No, why would you think that?' James signed back, 'I'm okay, it's not you.' He lifted Hartley into his lap and kissed the boy's forehead. "Heh, he saw that this upsets me and offered me his Trickster puppet. Yeah, I know. I'm a little shaken by it, actually." Hartley leaned his head against James's shoulder and started playing with the puppet, signing to it and making it sign back. "No, I don't think he has made the connection. Well, if this can't be undone, he may grow up deaf. Even if I could find the surgeon who made his cybernetics the first time, there's no way I could pay for it without doing something illegal. Not that I wouldn't do it for him if he wanted it," James added, stroking Hartley's hair and smiling down at him, "Nah, I'd just skim some cream off of Microsoft." Hartley smiled back then cuddled the Trickster puppet, then curled up against James's chest, sucking his thumb. "Yeah, if you want to. Later on though; this little guy looks like he's falling asleep so I'm going to put him down for a nap. No, he's _really_ starved for affection. When you see it like this, it really puts the man into perspective, you know? You compare this little kid to the Piper we know and you can see where all the stitches are, so to speak. You know that condition 'failure to thrive?' To be honest, I'm starting to think it's a miracle that he turned out as well as he did. Yeah... Yeah, well, I'm going to finish my lunch then put this little guy down for a bit. Yep. See ya, Wally, thanks."

James debated putting Hartley to bed, then reconsidered -- he wouldn't be disturbed by the TV or stereo and he would be disturbed by waking up alone. He stretched out on the couch and settled Hartley next to him, then flipped on the TV and channel-surfed for a while. He'd settled on a moderately interesting talk show when Hartley started to thrash and flail. _Nightmare,_ James thought, and started to stroke and murmur reassurances.... which were useless, he realized. _How do you comfort a deaf kid who's having a nightmare? How do you comfort **Hartley** who's having a nightmare?_ He caught Hartley's hand and pressed it against his throat, _then_ made the soft murmurings, stroking the fine strawberry-blond hair.

Hartley quieted, then abruptly woke up. His head snapped up and searched James's face anxiously, then he burst into tears. 'Don't go,' he signed indistinctly. He buried his face in James's chest and sobbed, 'Please don't go.'

'I'm not going anywhere,' James signed, 'Did you dream I was going away?'

Hartley nodded, eyes streaming, 'You were sad. Please don't go away.'

A little alarm bell started ringing in the back of James's mind. 'Did people get sad and then leave?' Hartley nodded. 'Why?' Hartley touched the thumb of his spread hand first to his chin, then to his forehead. _Mommy and Daddy - of course. Piper mentioned once that he had a fairly high turnover in caregivers and nannies. They must've seen what I'm seeing, argued with the parents and either quit or been fired. And Hartley thinks it's his fault._ He found a tissue and wiped the child's face. 'I won't leave, Hartley,' he signed, "I won't go away."

Then Hartley threw his arms around James's neck and his little body shook with his full-throated sobs. James rocked him and wondered if it were possible to bitch-slap people who were already dead.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James prepares for the possibility of raising a Deaf child. Piper learns that he's misjudged The Trickster all along.

  
_He was running but the distant figure didn't seem to notice. He shouted but Piper kept walking and no matter how fast he ran, he couldn't seem to catch up.  
  
Finally Piper turned to look back. His face was deeply shadowed, invisible; only his eyes burned, deep within the shadows of his hood. He held a tiny blond puppet to his chest.  
  
He wanted to tell him that he understood now, that he saw the pain and wanted to help. He tried to reach out across the gulf that yawned between them, but Piper couldn't hear him and he just couldn't make him understand..._  
  
James snapped awake. He was lying on the couch and Hartley was sitting on his hips, tapping James's chest. 'Are you okay?' he signed, big blue eyes full of concern.  
  
James smiled, 'Yes. Sad dream, happy now.' He noogied Hartley, who broke into a wide grin. 'How are you?' he signed.  
  
'Hungry,' Hartley replied.  
  
'Well, you would be, you had a busy day,' James grinned, and got up to make something to eat.  
  
Wally hadn't found out anything yet and whatever it was hadn't worn off after twenty-four hours, increasing James's worries that it would be permanent. Permanent or not, he figured he should act as though it were, and be prepared. So first thing that morning, James had taken them to the Keystone Deaf Children's Society.  
  
The effect on Hartley had been electrifying. He'd stared with wide, wide eyes, all around himself and it took James a moment to realise why: Hartley was surrounded by adults - and children - he could understand. As James explained his needs to the desk clerk, Hartley clung to his trouser leg, clutching the Trickster puppet, and peered around. They spent the morning there, James getting a crash refresher in ASL grammar and vocabulary and Hartley getting exposure to native signers and other children.  
  
After lunch found James vacuuming with Hartley held in one arm. As he passed the mantle, he felt Hartley tap him and looked up to see the boy pointing at one of the pictures -- The Trickster, running on air. Hartley pointed first to the picture, then to the Trickster puppet, his eyebrows lifted inquiringly.  
  
James grinned, 'Yes, that's him. You know who he is?'  
  
Hartley frowned, trying to remember. Finally he hugged the puppet and linked his forefingers together one way, then the other - 'my friend.'  
  
James smiled. He thought about how strongly little-Hartley was attached to the puppet, contrasted to the reserved, distant Piper he knew. Maybe not as distant as he'd thought. 'Do you love him?' he signed. Hartley nodded and hugged the puppet tightly. 'Does he love you?' Hartley thought about it and finally shrugged. James blinked. 'Does he like you?' Again, Hartley had to think about it, to James's distress. Finally he nodded. 'He loves you too,' James assured him, 'You're his best friend.'  
  
Hartley beamed and hugged the puppet again then nestled his cheek against James. He spotted another picture frame and pointed to it, making a sound. With a start, James realized that it was Wally's name, 'That's right - 'Wally.''  
  
At the society, they'd explained that Hartley's touching his throat and making sounds indicated that he was being taught to speak and, eventually, to lip-read. James remembered that Piper had once mentioned that he'd had a rebellious teacher who'd taught him to sign. James pressed Hartley's fingers to his throat and pronounced the syllables distinctly. The little boy's brow furrowed with concentration as he tried to match what he saw. 'Very good!' James grinned.  
  
Hartley beamed then tapped James's chest with a look of intent. James obligingly pronounced his own name. The resulting sound.... well, the -aym- part was distinguishable and the sound was distinct enough that James would be able to recognise it. 'Very good!' Hartley squealed piercingly and hugged him tight - he had a way to get James's attention when he was out of sight!  
  
 _That's why he's so loud - he needs to feel his throat vibrating to know he's making noise. It's the only way he could attract attention when he needed something. And some teacher got fed up and taught him some sign so he could say what he needed, instead of forcing him to speak words he'd never heard and couldn't associate to meaning._ James ruffled Hartley's hair and kissed his head. _And then his parents wondered why he grew up emotionally disturbed._ He felt movement and realized that Hartley had taken his thumb out of his mouth and had signed something. 'Sorry, what did you say?'  
  
Hartley pointed at the mantle and repeated, 'Looks like Mommy.'  
  
James looked to see what picture Hartley was pointing at and felt himself lose colour. The double frame held two pictures, of the same men in nearly identical poses -- Piper and Trickster. Hartley was pointing to the image of them as young Rogues, taken back when Piper had long hair and soft looks. James felt his heart thudding but picked it up, wondering what to say - how do you tell a little boy that he's looking at a picture of himself as an adult that was taken years ago?  
  
Hartley peered at the photograph and frowned - something about it was naggingly familiar. It felt like he should remember something, but he couldn't figure out what it was. He looked at the companion picture, comparing them. The older Piper's face was half-shadowed by his cowl but his body stance told Hartley much. 'He looks sad and lonely,' he signed.  
  
James winced. 'He is sad and lonely,' he agreed, 'He feels like nobody sees that he's hurting but that's not true. He feels like nobody cares but that's not true either.'  
  
Hartley looked up at him, 'Can you make him better?'  
  
 _Kid has no idea what he's saying,_ James thought and grinned, 'Trying to!'  
  
Hartley grinned back then his expression froze for just an instant. He looked at the pictures on the mantle then back at James. James grinned a little wider as Hartley looked from the pictures to the puppet then back to James. _Two plus two equals... yup._ Hartley pointed at the picture then to James, 'That's you?!'  
  
'That's me!' James grinned his best Trickster grin.  
  
Hartley's face lit up like Christmas. With an earsplitting shriek of pure joy, he flung his arms around James and hugged as tight as he could. Then he pulled back and crossed his fists over his chest, pointing at James - 'I love you.'  
  
James kissed his cheek and cuddled him close. 'I love you too,' he signed, 'You're my best friend.'  
  
* * * *  
  
"Good news!" Wally said, bursting into James's house then looking around, seeing nobody, "Hello?" A peal of loud childish laughter drew him to the living room, where James was telling stories with nothing more than hand puppets and facial expression. After watching for a moment, he realized that James was telling the _The Pied Piper of Hamelin_ \- with a few twists. The pied piper was portrayed by the puppet Pied Piper and the role of the double-dealing Mayor of Hamelin was played by a puppet Captain Cold. Wally had arrived just in time to see Mayor Cold turn away with a sack of money velcroed to his puppet hand, refusing to pay the Piper. In revenge, the Pied Piper stole away all of Captain Cold's Rogues, represented by a lot of little finger-puppets. The final twist was when the Flash showed up and looked around, wondering where all of his Rogues went.  
  
"Aw drat, nobody to fight, guess I might as well go home," Wally laughed.  
  
"Hiya, Wally," James looked up and smiled.  
  
Hartley looked around to see what James was looking at. It took Wally a moment to recognise the syllables through the thick pronunciation, then he did a double-take, "Did he just say my name?"  
  
James grinned, "He remembered how this afternoon." He opened his arms as Hartley climbed into his lap and clung to his neck, peering shyly at Wally.  
  
"Does he remember us?"  
  
"Not well. He recognises us but he can't place us. He doesn't know where he knows us from, just that he knows us."  
  
Wally nodded, "I see. And... is that your puppet he's snuggling?"  
  
"Sure is!" James beamed, "He won't let go of it and gets downright upset if he drops it."  
  
"There's no accounting for taste, especially if that's all you've given him," Wally snickered.  
  
"Don't be silly. He had the whole range to choose from but only took that one. I took him to the toy store, offered him whatever he wanted... He just held up the puppet and hugged it. But I still bought Lite Brites."  
  
Wally shook his head and grinned, "He's still Piper alright." He reached out to ruffle the boy's head. Hartley buried his face against James's neck, then peeked out at Wally, grinning.  
  
'You want brownies?' James signed. Hartley beamed and nodded vigorously then skootched off James's lap to let him get up. "Be right back, I made brownies," he told Wally.  
  
Hartley bounced off the sofa and tugged his trouser leg, making a circling gesture over his wrist and seemingly waving his fists alternately. "What did he say?" Wally asked, curious.  
  
"He asked if he could have some chocolate milk," James smiled.  
  
"Oh I get it! - milking a cow!" Wally laughed and shook his head, "Geez, he's a lot more animated as a kid. I thought Piper's face was expressive as an adult but he hasn't got a patch on this kid."  
  
"His face is his first language," James said, emerging to set a tray of brownies and Hartley's chocolate milk on the coffee table. "Exaggerated facial expressions are used like punctuation and mood settings in ASL."  
  
"Huh!" Wally said. As soon as James went back into the kitchen to get coffee, Wally saw a little hand reach up, snatch the topmost brownie, and hide under the table. He pressed his hand to his face to hold back the giggles.  
  
"It's not just words, you have to watch the whole figure," James was saying. He set down the coffee mugs and noticed the plate and Wally's expression. "Did he...?"  
  
"Uh huh. The second your back was turned."  
  
James grinned, "Kid after my own heart." Keeping his hands low, he signed 'Where did that brownie go? And where's Hartley?'  
  
The sound of giggles attempting to be quiet and failing miserably had Wally laughing, "Not a stealthy kid."  
  
James turned to face him, "No, he's not." Wally bit his lip and James turned around again, 'Oh there you are! Did you see where my brownie went?'  
  
Hartley's eyes sparkled and he held up the Trickster puppet, 'I think he took it.'  
  
Wally laughed, "Let me guess...."  
  
"Mini-Me stole the brownie," James confirmed, grinning widely, "It's something I would do, too." He pulled on an exaggerated scolding look and signed, 'Trickster, did you steal the brownie?'  
  
The Trickster puppet looked sad and nodded. Wally nearly fell off his chair laughing, "Oh god has he got you pegged!"  
  
"I know! It's been hilarious, believe me." Looking back at Trickster-puppet, James shook a scolding finger and signed 'We told you, candy's bad for your health.' Hartley made the puppet look so hang-dog that Wally burst out laughing again.  
  
'Since he took one, can I have one?' Hartley signed.  
  
James took in the ring of chocolate around the grinning mouth, the sticky fingers and the crumbs on the Flash hoodie. Uh huh. 'Yes, okay.' He grinned at Wally, "Lousy liar, too."  
  
Wally watched as James wiped down Hartley's face and hands, noticing how he crouched down almost every time he talked to the boy. Hartley signed another question and James nodded. "You make a good dad," Wally observed, "Ever considered it?"  
  
James made a face, "As if. Forget it." He sat down on the sofa and grabbed his coffee. Hartley snuggled up beside him, cuddling the Trickster puppet and paying rapt attention to the TV as James turned on the Hamelin system.  
  
"You're doing alright with Hartley," Wally said as jazz music filled the air.  
  
"That's different, he's Hartley."  
  
"But seriously, James, you're a lot better than most dads..."  
  
"Wally, I don't want kids. Even if I did, you don't just pick one up off the shelf. You gotta get into a relationship and I'm not good at those. More to the point, I don't _want_ to be good at those."  
  
Wally digested that in silence for a few minutes. He gestured at the tv, "This looks old. What is it?"  
  
"Vision On. It's a show for Deaf kids, from the seventies. I remembered watching it a few times when I was a kid. It took a lot to hunt down a few episodes but Hartley loves it. It's all visual, there's hardly any dialogue so he's not missing out on anything, not like Spongebob."  
  
"Isn't Spongebob closed captioned?"  
  
James snorted, "How's that help a four-year old who can't read yet?"  
  
Wally blinked, "I hadn't thought of that."  
  
"Neither did the people who cc'd Big Comfy Couch and the other shows aimed at his age group," James looked down at Hartley, who was snuggled against James with his thumb in his mouth as he watched the artist cutting paper birds.  
  
"He's awfully attached to you," Wally observed.  
  
"Tell me about it. I wasn't kidding when I said he was starved for attention. And affection."  
  
"He's like that as an adult too, he just hides it."  
  
"I know," James said softly, "I mean, we knew why, but... we never really understood it, not like this. Seeing him like this, so much of his behaviour makes more sense. I mean, we knew the sex was a substitute but geez."  
  
Wally nodded, "Yeah. I've seen what he's like when he's got the real deal. Feed the need and he's a totally different man."  
  
James shook his head thoughtfully, stroking Hartley's hair, "You know his family were investigated a few times? Several of Hartley's nannies lodged complaints."  
  
"You're kidding!"  
  
James shook his head, "Didn't go anywhere. Social Services saw the opulant mansion and the nannies and servants and wrote it all off. You know he hasn't once asked about his parents?" Wally gaped and James nodded, "He's mentioned them twice in passing, that's all. He hasn't asked about them, hasn't asked where they are, nothing. There's no bond there at all."  
  
"That's.... wow. That's...." Wally shook his head in amazement, "Has he got the thing about not being believed?"  
  
James shook his head, "Strangely enough, no. Or not yet, anyways."  
  
"I've always wondered about that."  
  
James met his eyes, "You too, huh? Yeah, I always got the feeling that Something Happened, but I haven't been able to uncover anything. And if he hasn't told you, then he won't tell me."  
  
Wally nodded, then shook his head, "God... he hasn't asked about them even once? And yet he was adamant about finding you..."  
  
"And hasn't left my side since," James nodded, "He whimpers if he wakes up and I'm not there. He adopted that puppet without connecting it to me and it's precious to him. And when he made the connection... Honestly, Wally, I had no idea."  
  
"Just don't hurt him, James," Wally said softly, "He knows he's not your type."  
  
"Not much chance of that," James looked again at the little boy, whose eyes had drifted shut.  
  
"Actually, that's why I came over -- I caught the guy who did this to him. Small-time crook, Piper foiled his attempt at a bank robbery. Guy was a small-time magician and put this spell on Piper. It should be wearing off any time now."  
  
"Will he get his implants back?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"He'd better or they can put me in Iron Heights. When I saw him with that flute, I just about cried right there in the store," James shook his head, running his fingers through the fine strawberry hair.  
  
Wally grinned, "You know, you're rather cute with him. ...In a strictly paternal way."  
  
James smirked, "He's got me tied around his fingers. I was thinking I should adopt him if this turned out to be permanent and then I was all, hello! I think he's still got his mind-control powers, he doesn't need the flute."  
  
"Nah, all little kids can do that." Wally looked over to see Hartley sitting up and rubbing his eyes with a disgruntled expression. "I think your youthful ward is tired," he grinned.  
  
"Yeah, I think it's time to put the Incredible Frog Boy here to bed."  
  
"Oh god..." Wally laughed, "Let me guess..."  
  
"After his bath last night, pretending to be a frog, yup. I had the Incredible Frog Boy on the loose in my living room. I gave him chocolate-covered raisins and told him they were flies."  
  
Wally roared with laughter, "Oh man... Little girls and horses, little boys and frogs."  
  
"The best part was, he doesn't know that frogs make sounds, so he's hopping about doing the silent-movie thing. It was hilarious."  
  
"I hope that spell doesn't wear off during his bath."  
  
"Oh god, wouldn't that be awkward. Did he say how much he'll remember?"  
  
Wally shook his head, "Your guess is as good as mine. Anyways, I'll let you put your little road warrior to bed." He waved to Hartley as James lifted him up. Hartley waved back with a sleepy grin. A moment later, Wally had vanished.  
  
James carried Hartley into the bedroom and helped him change into his pjs. Hartley burrowed into the blankets almost immediately. As James changed into his sweatpants, he noticed Hartley wadding himself up into a cocoon. Pretty soon all that showed of Hartley was a fluff of strawberry-blond hair and two bright blue eyes, twinkling with fun. James laughed, 'Hey, where'd you go? The bed ate my kid!'  
  
He sat down and started looking for an edge to unwind, rolling the bundle around and tickling. Hartley shrieked and laughed, kicking free of the tangle and rolling away. James caught him before he could roll off the bed and pulled him close. Keeping one arm firmly around Hartley's shoulders, he ran his fingers up and down the little boy's sides, laughing at the piercing shrieks and squeals. Then he let Hartley squirm free.  
  
Hartley crawled to the head of the bed and lovingly set the Trickster puppet on the pillow. After ensuring that his puppet friend was safely out of harm's way, he turned back and tackled James, giggling and tickling. James fell to his back, flailing and laughing and pretending to be utterly defenseless against the onslaught. Finally Hartley crawled up and flumped onto James's chest, then held up his hand with the two middle fingers tucked in, only the thumb, index and little fingers extended - the short-hand sign for 'I love you.' James smiled and returned it.  
  
He straightened the bed out and gave Trickster-puppet back to Hartley. He got comfortable and turned out the light, then felt Hartley snuggle up and nuzzle into his chest. He kissed the top of Hartley's head and sighed. He wondered how long until the spell wore off... and how much he was going to miss this little guy when it did.  
  
* * * *  
  
Hartley snapped awake. The rich, warm smell of James filled his nostrils and his chest rose and fell beneath his cheek. He could feel the beating of James's heart against his cheekbone, the heat of James's body keeping him warm, and the strength of James's arm keeping him close -- all things that made him feel comforted and safe. For the first time in his life, he'd felt truly happy, with somebody who cared about him and most of all, understood him. Very carefully, trying not to disturb James, Hartley slipped off the bed to go to the bathroom. The first streaks of dawn were just beginning to paint the sky. Hartley sat on the sofa and stared at the little puppet in his hands.  
  
The pale beams penetrated the curtains and fell across James's face - he was always up with the sun. He immediately registered the lack of weight and warmth against him and reached out, feeling only empty bed. The space beside him was cold. He sat up and looked around but saw no red-haired little boys. _Gone to the can, probably._ He stood and stretched, then shook himself and wandered out to the kitchen. The bathroom was empty so he wandered out to the living room. "Oh god! _Hartley!!"_ He ran over and tapped Hartley's shoulder until he looked up. 'Are you alright?' he signed urgently. Hartley stared blankly at him. 'Are you okay? Do you remember anything?' The other man continued to stare at him. 'Can you understand me?' James signed anxiously.  
  
Hartley lifted his hand and James nearly fainted with relief when Hartley touched his ear then twirled his finger in front of his lips - 'I can hear,' he signed, and continued in well-articulated signs, 'Of course I can understand you.'  
  
'Thank god!' James signed, 'We didn't know if the spell would restore your hearing when it wore off. I was afraid I was going to have to hurt somebody if it was permanent!'  
  
'I can hear as before,' Hartley replied with a bemused expression.  
  
'Thank god,' James signed again, 'Are you okay? Are you hurt at all? Any residual effects? Do you remember anything of the last week?'  
  
'I feel fine,' Hartley signed, then spoke, "Why are we signing? I told you I can hear you just fine."  
  
James blinked, several times. "Habit now, I suppose," he said and his voice sounded unnaturally loud in the still morning, "I guess I just got so used to it." Hartley had that blank look again. "Look, I'm gonna put on some coffee, you want some?"  
  
Hartley stared at the tiny puppet in his hands. "Actually... I'd prefer some chocolate milk."  
  
James stared at him for a moment then nodded. Hartley followed him out to the kitchen and sat down at the table, eyeing the plate of brownies. He took a pear out of the fruit bowl and bit into it as James dished out ricotta cheese and small danishes. Finally he set down the chocolate milk and coffee bowls and sat down opposite Hartley, "So, do you remember anything of the last week, week and a half?"  
  
"I remember everything."  
  
James's face froze for an instant, "Everything?"  
  
"From Wally snatching me away from the truck to hopping around your living room like a frog.  
  
"Ah..." James looked away, momentarily disconcerted. He'd snuggled him, played with him and bathed him, and now that Hartley was an adult again, he had no idea what to say.  
  
"I used to get spanked and lectured for that so often," Hartley reminisced, "I once got yelled at for hopping into one of their dinner parties and frog-licking a pastry."  
  
James burst out laughing, "Oh god, I can picture that!"  
  
"Yeah. Of course, my father was yelling so much, I couldn't make out anything he was saying but his face looked so funny, I started laughing. Then I was in even more trouble."  
  
"Ah geez... I can so see that," James chuckled, sipping his coffee.  
  
"I didn't know you knew ASL," Hartley said carefully.  
  
"Huh? Didn't I ever tell you? I started studying it after you told me you were actually deaf."  
  
Hartley gave him another blank look, "Why?"  
  
"I figured if anything ever happened to your cybernetic implants, you could still have somebody to talk to," James shrugged. Hartley continued to stare at him, making him nervous. "Of course, like an idiot I let it slide over the past few years so when the situation actually happened, I was rusty..." Hartley felt his eyes start to sting and looked away. "...and I felt like such a moron, nothing new there, 'cause there you were all crying and grubby and maybe injured and I could barely remember how to say hello..."  
  
"I can't fuckin' believe this," Hartley said. James shut up. He watched Hartley's face and felt like signing 'am I in trouble?' Finally Hartley looked up and James saw that he was trying not to cry. "My parents didn't even learn to fingerspell my name and you... _you_ learned ASL _'just in case?'"_ He looked away, pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead, "And you feel bad because you were rusty..."  
  
"Hart..."  
  
Hartley looked back, tears rolling down his face, **"They couldn't even sign my name!** ...and you scoured the net looking for that tv show..."  
  
James watched him, now knowing what that blank look meant - disbelief. He set his coffee down then got up and put his arms around Hartley's shoulders, "C'mere..." He ruffled Hartley's hair and rocked him while he cried. "Your parents were fuckin' morons," he said softly, "'Cause if you were as good as you were with me, they got blessed with a little angel, everybody's dream kid. Y'know, the kind you only read about in bad fiction and everybody wishes really existed? - yeah well that was you." He felt Hartley squeeze him and squeezed back, then rocked him until he'd cried himself out.  
  
Hartley accepted the offered tissue and wiped his eyes, "Sorry..."  
  
"What for? I've been wiping your nose for more than a week," James grinned, "You've been through a heck of an ordeal."  
  
"Hnh! Yeah... living with you, that's an ordeal..." He saw James's eyes flick towards the puppet and blushed, disconcerted. The silence stretched out again. Finally Hartley lifted his hands. 'Thank you,' he signed, 'For taking me in.'  
  
'You were looking all over for me. I couldn't turn you away... not again.' James looked away, guilt and regret clear on his face.  
  
Hartley digested that in silence, 'I forgave you for that ages ago.' James shook his head and looked away for an instant, then looked back. "Here's your puppet back," Hartley said, to break the tension.  
  
"You latched onto that immediately, before you even connected it to me. You held onto it like it was the most precious thing in the world," James said quietly.  
  
Hartley shrugged and looked away, "You mean a lot to me."  
  
"You were looking all over for me and yet you never once asked about your parents," James continued, "And when you made the connection between that puppet and me, your face lit up like fireworks and I couldn't peel you off of me for fifteen minutes." He leaned forward and touched Hartley's hand, "I swear, I had no idea."  
  
Hartley looked away, feeling backed into a corner. "I didn't want you to know," he whispered.  
  
"Well you did a good job of hiding it from me. From _me."_ James put the puppet back in Hartley's hand and closed his fingers over it, then didn't let go. "Keep him," he said, meeting Hartley's eyes, "He seems to like being with you."  
  
"If... if this is going to change anything between us..."  
  
"Hell yes, it changes everything!" Hartley flinched. James squeezed his hand and admitted, "I'm fucking up royally if you weren't even sure if I liked you."  
  
Hartley looked away again, "James, I was... _technically_ four..."  
  
"I know: The inner child, everything out in the open, unable to hide." He still hadn't let go of Hartley's hand, "I got a good look at your inner self and it made me take a closer look at mine."  
  
Hartley's eyes flicked back briefly, "...So what did my inner child say to yours?"  
  
James held up his other hand, the middle fingers tucked down, leaving thumb, forefinger and little finger extended. After a moment, Hartley returned the gesture and linked his fingers through James's. "You don't have to go, Hart," James said softly, "I don't know if anything'll come of it - maybe, maybe not." Hartley nodded, hearing the out James was leaving himself. James shrugged, "You can stay if you want to. I like having you around."  
  
'Thank you,' Hartley signed, 'You made me happy. You've always made me happy.'  
  
James gazed at him for a few minutes then looked away. "It's been more than a week since you were home.. We should spin by your place and make sure it's okay. And pick up some of your stuff."  
  
"I promise I won't take up much space."  
  
"Are you kidding me? I figure between the two of us, we'll have the whole first floor turned into our doom-kitchen lab within a month!"

**Author's Note:**

> In Flash canon, Hartley Rathaway was born profoundly deaf and given cybernetic implants that gave him super-hearing. The attitude of his parents in canon make it highly unlikely that Hartley was ever exposed to Deaf culture, thus I have referred to him as deaf rather than Deaf.


End file.
